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theelizzz's review against another edition
2.0
So....for lack of a better word, WEIRD! The plot was about a Dr. who becomes a spy for the queen but what was weird were the scenes about Queen Mary of Scots...seems like the author has some weird fetish with her to say the least.
Do not recommend and the only reason I finished the book is because it is less than 300 pages thank God.
Do not recommend and the only reason I finished the book is because it is less than 300 pages thank God.
louisekf's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
This is a complex story of spying on behalf of Queen Elizabeth and on behalf of her rival, Mary (popularly known as Mary, Queen of Scots) in 1572. It is a time of intense religious feeling, and the book opens with scenes of violence as Catholics slaughter Protestants (Huguenots) in France. In England there is fear that the Spanish are making plans to crush England via the sea in order to put the Catholic Mary on the English throne.
The adventures culminate with the establishment of Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
I enjoyed the exploits of Francis Walsingham and John Dee and loved reading the vivid descriptions of London and all the other locations - how disgusting the Seine and the Thames were! The story dragged in places, however. Also, there are some scenes that involve Mary, who is under house arrest in Sheffield, that involve sex toys, self-stimulation and stimulation required from her female servants that seemed to me totally unnecessary to the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the chance to read an advance copy of this book.
This is a complex story of spying on behalf of Queen Elizabeth and on behalf of her rival, Mary (popularly known as Mary, Queen of Scots) in 1572. It is a time of intense religious feeling, and the book opens with scenes of violence as Catholics slaughter Protestants (Huguenots) in France. In England there is fear that the Spanish are making plans to crush England via the sea in order to put the Catholic Mary on the English throne.
The adventures culminate with the establishment of Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
I enjoyed the exploits of Francis Walsingham and John Dee and loved reading the vivid descriptions of London and all the other locations - how disgusting the Seine and the Thames were! The story dragged in places, however. Also, there are some scenes that involve Mary, who is under house arrest in Sheffield, that involve sex toys, self-stimulation and stimulation required from her female servants that seemed to me totally unnecessary to the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the chance to read an advance copy of this book.
mugs_it_is's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
vesper1931's review against another edition
1572 Spy master Walsingham is in Paris, while the massacre of St. Bartholomew is occurring. But he must retrieve an important document. Later, events result in sending Dr John Dee into France. Meanwhile Walsingham believes he must deal with the threat from Mary, Queen of the Scots.
An entertaining well-written historical thriller with some interesting characters.
A good start to a new series even though the story was written in the present tense, not something I particularly like.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
An entertaining well-written historical thriller with some interesting characters.
A good start to a new series even though the story was written in the present tense, not something I particularly like.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
msavaiano's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
traveling_in_books's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
plantladyreader's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a great read!
Historical fiction meets thriller meets the makings of the future James Bond, all had me devouring this book in a matter of days!
Dr James Dee has a surprising relationship with Queen Elizabeth, one not many people understand, including Francis Walsingham, her head of security detail. Dee is a curious man, having many skills in the sciences, astronomy, astrology and spiritualism, and it makes him invaluable to the Queen's aid. While Walsingham is defending Queen Elizabeth's life against the uprising of Catholicism and Queen Mary of the Scots trying to take over the throne, he ends up requiring the unique skills that Dee can bring to the table.
I really enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. The historical side of it was really well done - the uprising of the Catholics and their revolt against the Christian monarchy was richly detailed and very horrifying; the characters were really enjoyable, as were the different relationships between them; Queen Mary was a wonderful villain to root against the whole time, and her tricks of communicating outside her prison cells to her accomplices was very creative; and finally the ending came together in a way that was enjoyable but not too neat - we're still left with some questions, some ill-feelings and the sense that there is more to come from this story!
Overall, very well done. If you're a fan of sixteenth century historical fiction, I would definitely check this one out!
4.5
Historical fiction meets thriller meets the makings of the future James Bond, all had me devouring this book in a matter of days!
Dr James Dee has a surprising relationship with Queen Elizabeth, one not many people understand, including Francis Walsingham, her head of security detail. Dee is a curious man, having many skills in the sciences, astronomy, astrology and spiritualism, and it makes him invaluable to the Queen's aid. While Walsingham is defending Queen Elizabeth's life against the uprising of Catholicism and Queen Mary of the Scots trying to take over the throne, he ends up requiring the unique skills that Dee can bring to the table.
I really enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. The historical side of it was really well done - the uprising of the Catholics and their revolt against the Christian monarchy was richly detailed and very horrifying; the characters were really enjoyable, as were the different relationships between them; Queen Mary was a wonderful villain to root against the whole time, and her tricks of communicating outside her prison cells to her accomplices was very creative; and finally the ending came together in a way that was enjoyable but not too neat - we're still left with some questions, some ill-feelings and the sense that there is more to come from this story!
Overall, very well done. If you're a fan of sixteenth century historical fiction, I would definitely check this one out!
4.5
cakt1991's review against another edition
3.0
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Eyes of the Queen intrigued me, as a fan of the Tudors, and I was particularly interested in how Sir Francis Walsingham’s spy ring, which I knew a little bit about, served as a predecessor to the modern MI6 in the UK today.
On the positive side, it’s absolutely gritty and atmospheric, capturing the dark and treacherous nature of the later Elizabethan age, with Elizabeth fearing attack from Spain and Mary, the former Queen of Scots being imprisoned, yet being still a threat as the most likely heir to the throne and one who the Catholics already view as the rightful Queen, with Elizabeth being the usurper. It was fascinating to see the trust Elizabeth put in Walsingham and John Dee in these times to take on these conflicts covertly.
Other aspects, however, was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I did more or less enjoy how some of the major characters were written, especially the charismatic John Dee. However, I object to the sexualized nature of Queen Mary’s portrayal, with nymphomania and sex toys and whatnot, as it just seems like a pathetic way to blacken the name of woman who was considered “the enemy,” when her mere blood connection and documented rash actions should have been enough.
It also felt more thrilling because the period itself had a lot of darkness and danger to it, not because the plot itself was particularly suspenseful. And when a lot of the historical record makes a lot of it a foregone conclusion, that doesn’t help. I did enjoy seeing the founding of Her Majesty’s Secret Service, however.
This series is a good idea, but I don’t know if it reached its full potential as a truly gripping spy thriller. I did love most of the historical bits, and I think fellow Tudor/Elizabethan aficionados will also enjoy this.
The Eyes of the Queen intrigued me, as a fan of the Tudors, and I was particularly interested in how Sir Francis Walsingham’s spy ring, which I knew a little bit about, served as a predecessor to the modern MI6 in the UK today.
On the positive side, it’s absolutely gritty and atmospheric, capturing the dark and treacherous nature of the later Elizabethan age, with Elizabeth fearing attack from Spain and Mary, the former Queen of Scots being imprisoned, yet being still a threat as the most likely heir to the throne and one who the Catholics already view as the rightful Queen, with Elizabeth being the usurper. It was fascinating to see the trust Elizabeth put in Walsingham and John Dee in these times to take on these conflicts covertly.
Other aspects, however, was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I did more or less enjoy how some of the major characters were written, especially the charismatic John Dee. However, I object to the sexualized nature of Queen Mary’s portrayal, with nymphomania and sex toys and whatnot, as it just seems like a pathetic way to blacken the name of woman who was considered “the enemy,” when her mere blood connection and documented rash actions should have been enough.
It also felt more thrilling because the period itself had a lot of darkness and danger to it, not because the plot itself was particularly suspenseful. And when a lot of the historical record makes a lot of it a foregone conclusion, that doesn’t help. I did enjoy seeing the founding of Her Majesty’s Secret Service, however.
This series is a good idea, but I don’t know if it reached its full potential as a truly gripping spy thriller. I did love most of the historical bits, and I think fellow Tudor/Elizabethan aficionados will also enjoy this.
alexis_hookedtobooks's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for the copy of this book.
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Inspired by a historical figure that will become on of the first MI6 agents, this book was full of action and intrigue. It takes place during the Elizabethan period in England, which is one of my favourite time periods in history. There is a lot going on in the book, including the Huguenot massacre in France, the imprisonment of Mary Queen of Scots, and the search for the Northwest Passage. I loved all the action and adventure in the book, and how we are always kept on our toes.
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The historical figures were portrayed in an interesting way in this book. I liked the portrayal of Francis Walsingham, who was daring and serious in his devotion to Queen Elizabeth. He was willing to do whatever necessary to save the Queen. Queen Mary, however, was portrayed very strangely and evil, which fit with the plot of the book, but as someone who studied this time period, I found her depiction a bit odd. Overall though, I enjoyed the secretive nature of this book and recommend if you enjoy historical fiction taking place during this time period.
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Inspired by a historical figure that will become on of the first MI6 agents, this book was full of action and intrigue. It takes place during the Elizabethan period in England, which is one of my favourite time periods in history. There is a lot going on in the book, including the Huguenot massacre in France, the imprisonment of Mary Queen of Scots, and the search for the Northwest Passage. I loved all the action and adventure in the book, and how we are always kept on our toes.
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The historical figures were portrayed in an interesting way in this book. I liked the portrayal of Francis Walsingham, who was daring and serious in his devotion to Queen Elizabeth. He was willing to do whatever necessary to save the Queen. Queen Mary, however, was portrayed very strangely and evil, which fit with the plot of the book, but as someone who studied this time period, I found her depiction a bit odd. Overall though, I enjoyed the secretive nature of this book and recommend if you enjoy historical fiction taking place during this time period.
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